
CASTOR FAMILY 



HOLMESBURG BRANCH 



PRINTED FROM THE RECORDS 
COMPILED FROM AUTHENTIC SOURCES 



RICHARD ALLEN MARTIN 

I4.TH ON THE CASTOR CHART 







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PRINTED FROM THE RECORDS 
COMPILED FROM AUTHENTIC SOURCES 



RICHARD ALLEN MARTIN 

I4TH ON THE CASTOR CHART 



Martin & allardyce 
Frjes' Building. Franktord. 






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(Berstcr or Caetor arms. 

Gerster, of Basle, Switzerland, as described in a 
letter to Richard Allen Martin, (14) from Dr. John Gerster, 
of Basle, written September 1906. 

Arms : Gules a saltire or. in chief an estoile of the last. 
Crest : A man's bust and head clothed gules in a pointed 
cap or., face and hair proper. 

In Rietstrap s ''Armorial General'' the Arms are 
described as follows : 

Anns : De gu a deux batons potences passes en saut la 
potence en haut ace. en chef d' un etoile entre les batons 
le tovt d' or. 

Crest : Un buste d'homme, hab. de gu; coiff'e d' un bonnet 
point du me-me, d' or. 



I John 

2 John Geoi 

3 Georg 

4 Matthi: 

5 Willia 



ife 



1 Robert Burrage 

2 Richard Burrage 

3 Thomas Burrage 

I 

4 John Burrage 
5 William Burrage 

I 

6 John Burrage 

7 William Burrag^e 

I 
8 Sergt. John Burrage 

9 Thomas Burrage 

I 

10 Hannah Burrage 



>eth Mills 




Morton Castor 9 hard Allen Martin 



Castor jFamil^ 



HOLMESBURG BRANCH 
Ancestors and Descendants of George Matthias Castor and Mary Elizabeth Mills, his wife 



I John Gerster 

I 
2 John George Castor 

3 George Castor 

I 
4 Matthias Castor 

I 
5 William Castor 



1 Joseph Northrup 

2 Joseph Northrup 

3 James Northrup 

4 Nathan Northrup 
5 David W. Northrup 

6 Elizabeth Northrup 



6 George Matthias Castor 




1 Adam Mills 

I 

2 George Mills 

I 

3 Joseph Mills 



1 Robert Burrage 

2 Richard Burrage 

3 Thomas Burrage 
4 John Burrage 

5 William Burrage 

6 John Burrage 

7 William Burrage 

I 
S Sergt. John Burrage 

9 Thomas Burrage 

10 Hannah Burrage 



4 Mary Elizabeth Mills 



I Hon. George A. Castor 2 Mary Castor 3 Nellie Mills Castor 4 Morton Castor 
m m m 

5 Katharine Duffy 6 Lemuel Ball 7 Dr. Richard Allen Martin 




Morton Castor 9 Katharine 10 George Matthias 11 Estelle 12 Nettie Castor Ball 13 George Castor Martin 14 Richard Allen Martm 

m ™ m 

17 George Rommell iS Lemuel Oldham 19 Mildred Comegys 

20 Natalie Rommell 21 Richard Allen AUardvce Martin 




i 



ancestry of (Bcorge flD. Castor 

1. John Gerster, b. City of Basle, Switzerland. 

2. John George Castor, b. March 5, 17 10, in Basle; m. in 

Switzerland, Eve ; d. Oxford township, Penna. 

Dec. 29, 1797. Came to America 1737 in the ship 
"Princess Augusta," Samuel Merchant, Master, and is 

down on the ship's list as Hans George Gerster. On 
the old Church records his name is written John 
George Castor. He purchased, March 10, 1762, 202 
acres in the Oxford Township, on which property he 
lived until his death. In the deed he is styled as 
'"of Germantown. " He and his wife are buried in 
the Presbyterian church yard in Frankford. 

3. George Castor, b. Dec. 14th, {636, in Germantown; m. 

Margaret Satterlee; d. May 25, 181 i, Oxford township. 
Int. Presbyterian church yard, Frankford. 

4. Matthias Castor, b. Oct. 14, 1766, Oxford Township; m. 

Rebecca Johnson, April 8, 1792; d. . 

Matthias served in Continental Army atYorktown 1783. 
His oldest son Samuel was a General in the Penna, 
Militia. (Samuel, b. 1778, d. 1855.) Both Matthias 
and Samuel are in the Presbyterian church yard with 
their forefathers. 

5. William Castor, b. May 26, 1797, Oxford Township; m, 

March 26, 1821, Elizabeth Northrup; d. . 

Moved to Holmesburg, where he became the ancestor 
of the Castor Family of that town. 

6. George Matthias Castor, b. Dec. 25, [830, in Holmes- 

burg; m. July 13, 1854, Mary Elizabeth Mills; d. 
May 16, 1880, Holmesburg; Int. Cedar Hill Cemetery. 



IRortbrnp. 

1. Joseph Northup, b. in England; m. Mary Norton in Mil- 

ford. Conn.; d. Sept ii, 1669 in Milford. Joseph came 
to America in 1637 and settled in Milford, 1639. 

2. Joseph Northrup, b. Aug. 9, 1649 in Milford; d. May 

1700; Freeman May 12, 1670. 

3. James Northrup, bap. Jan. 1693 in Milford; m. Hannah 

Hyne. Bought lands in Ridgefield Conn., 17 14, 17 15, 
1721 and 1727. 

4. Nathan Northrup, b. May 30. 1721 in Ridgefield, Conn, ; 

m. ist Eunice ; m. 2nd Lydia Mills. 

5. David W. Northrup, bap. July 29, 1798, in Ridgefield. 

6. Elizabeth Northrup, b. May 29, 1798, in Ridgefield; m. 

William Castor; d. April 22, 1861. 



ancestry of riDar^ je. flDills. 



1. Adam Mills. 

2. George Mills, b. England; m. Elizabeth Lees. Came to 

America about the year 1827 and settled near Holmes- 
burg, Pa. 

3. Joseph Mills, b. 18 16 in England; m. Hannah Burrage 

1837; d. 1879 Holmesburg, Pa.; Int. North Cedar Hill 
Cemetery. 

4. Mary Elizabeth Mills, b. Feb 19, 1838 Holmesburg; m. 

George M. Castor; d. Mar. 17, [891, Stonyhurst, 
Holmesburg, Pa. 

JSurraae. 

1. Robert Burrage, b. Seething, Norfolk, Eng. Circa 1490; 
d. 1559, Seething. 

2. Richard Burrage, b. Seething. 

3. Thomas Burrage, b. Feb. 28, 1581, Norton Subcourse; 

m. Aug. 19, 1606, Frances Uey; d. Mar. 2, 1632. 

4. John Burrage, b. Apr. lo. 1616. Norton Subcourse; m. 

Joanna Stowers; d. Oct. 19, 1685, Charlestown, Mass. 
Settled in Charlestown, Mass., 1632. 

5. William Burrage, b. June 10, 1657, in Boston; m. Sarah 

— ? d. r720, in Boston. 

6. John Burrage, b. Feb. 11, 1693, Charlestown; m. Oct, 

9, 17 18, Lydia Ward, (See Ward Gen.); d. Jan. 24, 
1765, Newton, Mass. 

7. William Burrage, b. Newton, Mass.; m. Dec. 13, 1744, 

Hannah Osland; d. Oct. 13, 1763. 

8. John Burrage, b. Aug. 29, 1755; m. May 10, 1781, Lois 

Barthrick; d. July 2, 1822. 



John Burrage was styled" of Lunenburg and Concord. 
Enlisted in Fourth Foot Company, April 17. 1775. 
fought at both the battles of Confcord and Lexington. 
The Decendants of John Burrage are entitled to mem- 
bership in either the Sons or Daughters of the Revolu- 
tion. 

9. Thomas Burrage, b. April 22, 1782; d. Oct. 13, 18 o. 

10. Hannah Burrage, b. June 11. 1818; m. Joseph Mills; 

d. 1889; Int. North Cedar Hill Cemetery. 



S)ecen^ant0 of (Beorgc fiD. Castor 
anb flDari? j6. flDills. 

1. Hon. George A. Castor, b. Aug. 3, 1856, Holmesburg; 

m. Katharine Duffy, d. Nov. 16, 1902, Holmesburg; 
Int. Episcopal church yard, in Holmesburg. 

2. Mary Castor, b. May 3, 1858, Holmesburg: m. May 3 

1878, Lemuel Ball; d. Nov. 16. 1902, Wissinoming; 
Int. North Cedar Hill Cemetery. 

3. Nellie Mills Castor, b. April 3, 1864, Holmesburg; m. 

ist Dec. 6, 1883, Dr. Richard Allen Martin, a Decend- 
ant of the Martins of Ballinahinch, Co. Down, Ireland, 
who came to America from Bolton-C-Moors, Lan- 
cashire. England in 1827. (See Martin chart.) m. 2nd 
Wm. H. Allardyce of Galveston, Texas. 

4. Morton Castor, b. Aug. 3, 1866, Holmesburg; d. Aug. 

3, Holmesburg 1869; Int. Cedar Hill Cemetery. 

8. Morton Castor, b. April 30, 1876, Holmesburg. 

9. Katharine Castor, b. Feb. 8, 1878, Holmesburg. 

10. George Matthias Castor, b. 1879, Holmesburg; d. June 

9. 1894, Holmesburg; Int. North Cedar Hill Cemetery. 

11. Estelle Castor, b. November 1889, Holmesburg; m. 

George Rommell; living in Germantown. 

12. Nellie Castor Ball, b. May 16. 1878. Tacony, Pa.; m. 

May 31, T907. Samuel Oldham; living in Wissinoming, 
Pa. 

13. George Castor Martin, b. March 30. 188=:, New York 

City; m. Sept. 22, 1906, Asbury Park, New Jersery, 
Mildred Comegys of the Maryland family of that 
name. Both members of the Sons and Daughters of 
the Revolution respectively. Vice-Commodore U. S. 
V. L. S. C. 

14. Richard Allen Martin, b.. Oct. 14 1886, New York 

City; d. Dec. 20. 1908, Jacksonville, Fla. Interment 
North Cedar Hill Cemetery. Richard Allen Martin 
was a member of the Sons of the Revolution Mon- 
mouth County Historical Society; Ex Libris Society of 
London, Frankford Historical Society, and others. 

20 Natalie Rommel, b. 1909, Germantown. 

21. Richard Allen Allardyce Martin, b. July 15, 1907, 
Asbury Park, N. J. 



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y 2Sth, 1909 



From The Philadelphia Inquirer, August 2, 1909 




From FRANKFORD DISPATCH, Friday. May 28th, 1909 



The Old Cattor Mansion at 
Wistinomins, 

When it waa recently announced tliat 
Tacony Farm, the residence of Thomas 
C. Foster, at Wissinoming, had been 
sold and would shortly he pulled down 
to give place to a large factory, gen- 
eral regret was expressed among the 
residents of Torouy and Bridcsburg, 
says the Philadelphia Record. For 
nearly two centuries this has been ouo 
of the show places among the nu- 
merous beautiful river mansions over- 
looking the Delaware in this section. 
Not only for the quaint architecture of 
the fine old homestead, but for the 
beauty of its approach, both by laud 
and water, has the historic Castor man- 
sion been famous for many generations. 
It stands closer to the river bank than 
the majority of the famous old man- 
sions that once lined the water front, 
with a velvety lawn and beautiful old 
trees reaching down to the water. But 
the entrance from the land is one of the 
special attractions of the estate, as it 
lends through a long, shady, treeborder- 
ed avenue, with clumps of hardy shrub- 
bery and broad sweeps of velvety lawns 
reaching far away on either side of the 
driveway. 

Fortunately, the fulfillment of the 
prophecies of destruction has been in- 
detinitely postponed for this quaint and 
beautiful old country seat. While the 
large factory has sprung up on the wide- 
reaching acres of the historic farm its 
building has not necessitated the obliter- 
ating of the treasured landmark, but. in- 
stead, has given it a new lense of life, 
for N. C. Brodhead, the owner of the 
factory, established on the river front, has 
carefully |)reser\ed the Tacony Farm 
mansion and all its quaint and interesting 
landmarks for his home. Mrs. Brod- 
head, wlio is not only an enthusiastic 
liistorian, has made the most of all the 
charms of ancient architectural beauty 
and is also well versed in the interesting 
legends aud traditions which throng the 
place. 

The early Swedes were the first to 
own the property, and it was a fam( 
gathering place for the Swedish settle 
who had crossed the river to make th 
sitllenieul of the wide-renehiug I'el 
sylvanin farm lands, e.ttending in splen- 
did fcrlility down to the water front 
without the usual' intervening marsh 
lauds. Here, on the slope of the Tacony 
Farm, the Swedes built the little low part 
of the present mansion. Built it for 
special safety, after their quaint archi- 
tecture of the day. with the first lloor 
largely underground, and the windows 
bcing'level with the soil. This rambling 
two-story structure, substantially built of 
stone and plaster, was considered a very 
prctentioiis dwelling when erected, over 
two centuries ago, and it was the special 
pride of the early Swedish settlers. 

Rut even previous to the two centur- 
ies or more that the property has been 
a famo\is homeslead history was being 
made for the ancient farm near the 
Wissinoming Creek, with its Indian 
name, for judging from the indications 
of more recent years, this farm doubt- 
less contained the' home of an Indian 
chieftain and his tribe, or at least it 
must have been an Indian camping 
ground or village, for Indian relics hav 
been uni>arthed in every portion of tli 
farm. For more than a, century an<l 
quarter the trustor family owned the c 
tnte, and through five generations of th 
Castors the place has been socially proiu 
inent. Mr. Brodheail purchased the ei 
tnte of Thomas C. Foster, whose mothc 
was a. Castor. As it stands to-day th 
house is interesting not only on account 
of its age and historic traditions 
also as a striking specimen of old French 
architecture. Whi'n the house was pui 
.-hnaed by the original George Castor, tli 
;i,i.lilinns he mnde were modeled after 111 
I'li'iirh country houses of the eighteen( 
.■.•nluiy. The 'ceilings were high, and tli 
rooms spacious and imposing, while 
veranda overlooked the river. It is ulf 
recorded that he laid out a hnudsi.ni 
gnrden, which for its dny was consider* 
one of the most beautiful specimens of 
landscape gardening in all this section or 
within the suburbs of the (Juaker City. 



From The Philadelphia Inquirer, August 2, 1909 




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